Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 483 — page 4: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Th «PSS TON) oe os ‘ yee J ta co 4. si tsi nabicihons Jeg he Ferrets Afloat. TE LL <n i She wt, ive \ *,4 rt. ° " hk. ee for then I will prevent its crew from running | ina boat, boarded her, had a talk with hercom- | ever pleased that I allowed you to form your off with the outlaw vessel.” mander, and half an hour after the outlaw pris- | Boys’ Detective League, and we older ones must “The old craft hain’t worth much.” oners were on board the cruiser, their schooner | look toour laurels, with such wide-awake young- ‘*It is worth a good deal to me, so head for | in charge of a Government crew, and the de- | sters about as are you young ferrets; but let the furthest boat.” tective’s yacht was heading back to New York | me tell you that there is more work fer you to 7 Tbe man obeyed sullenly, and, just as the boat ; harbor, do, reached the entrance to the inlet, the yacht ‘* Well, sir, I am ready.” came skimming along in its wake. 7 CHAPTER V. ‘*T do not mean now, but as soon as you have ‘** Ho, that boat!” cried Wizard Will. THE RETURN OF THE FERRETS. returned from home, for you must go out and ** What do you want?” *** BacK again, my gallant Boy Wizard?” see your mother and sister, who have written **Gome to, or Pll fire into you, and then run The speaker was Captain Ryan Daly, one of | twice to learn if I had heard of you.” you down.” the leading officers of the police force, and also ‘*T shall go out by the noon train, sir, and not Excitement was visible on board fora minute; a chief of Secret Service. return until to-morrow, unless you wish me.” still the boat held on. He sat in his private office at the —— Police | ‘‘ No, stay longer, if you desire.” ‘* Quick! Come to, or take the consequences!” | Station, busy in looking ove letters, dispatches, ‘But what is the work for me, Captain called out Will. and official documents, for he had just come in | Daly?” “ie: Instantly the boat swept around, and the | for his morning’s work. ‘* Your Flower Girl has mysteriously disap- ; oe rowers lay on their oars. The one he addressed was Wizard Will, who | peared!” . ** Luff!” This was done, and as the schooner | had just landed from his ea which he had ‘* Indeed, sir?” se went up into the wind, Will called out: left at its accustomed anchorage in the East ‘**Yes; the day after you sailed in chase of Ele- 3 ‘* Come alongside!” , River. gant Ed and his yacht, I went by there and 4 The boat at once moved to the side of the The captain was a tall, well-built, manly fel- | found the place é¢losed: | Hs yacht. low, with a face as full of earnest goodness as it ‘**T could learn nothing about her, so took pos- ‘* Make ’em go below, for 1 don’t wish one to | was of daring and resolution, and he turned to- | session of the place, but could find no clew as to . iD see what I is doing,” whispered the outlaw | ward his young ibe in a way that showed | where she had gone. \ pilot. he was very much attached to him, ry discovered the secret tunnelway into the Pe ie As they eee on board they were ironed by ‘Yes, sir, I am again at home,” and Will | house of Elegant Ed, the panels in the wajl,the = =| the crew and hurried below, and their boat was | grasped the outstretched hand. false hallway and all; but 1 could find out noth- zi... anchored where it was, as the other had been, ‘* And what luck?” | ing to give me an insight into what had become +: ‘Will knowing he could pick them up after-| ‘‘Good and bad, sir.” of the girl.” .. ward. ** As how?” ‘*Do you consider that she was kidnapped, wi ** Now for the cap’n’s boat,” the outlaw said. ‘*Elegant Ed and his men cheated the gal- | sir?” 1. ‘* How many are on your vessel?” lows.” ‘“*T do not know.” eg | ‘* Two niggers.” Nol” ‘* Were her things there?” i: \) ‘* Foxey, 6 six in that boat and pull in ** Yes, sir, they were run down in their yacht, ‘*The furniture was left apparently undis- | chase of the outlaw captain, and head him off | in the entrance to the Chesapeake, and all were | turbed, and the pots of flowers and vases re- % from the shore, for you can do so, while I will | lost.” mained as when she was there.” | come to your aid, as soon as I capture the out- ‘* But Foxey was on board, you said?” ‘*I will try and find her, sir, and solve the law vessel,” said Will, and Foxey and six com- ‘Yes, sir; but we picked him up, floating on | mystery, and as delay may be dangerous for rades sprung into the boat and pulled rapidly | a Piece of the bowsprit, and be told me the fate | her, if she has been kidnapped, I will go on to oO away, while the yacht held on into the inlet. the others.” the boys’ quarters, whither the crew have gone, Be, i ‘* Now, my man, you hold your life and free- ‘* How was it?” and tr Foxey upon the trail.” | . ae dom in your own hands. ** They were caught in a sudden squall, and in ‘** He’ll nose out the mystery, if any one can,” 4 decided the chief. And he accompanied Wizard Will to the se- cret quarters of the young detectives, which was hidden under the title of a ‘‘ Boys’ Lodging ‘‘A mistake will cause your instant death, | the mist a steamer ran them down and then while if you do as I demand, I set you ashore a | passed on, leaving them to their fate.” free man,” and Wizard Will stood by the side ‘“ Well, I am glad to know Elegant Ed, and of the outlaw pilot, revolver in hand, the men with bim, are out of the way, though I **T hain’t goin’ to commit suicide, young fel- | had hoped to bring that arch rascal to the gal- | House,” for the strength of the youthful ferrets ler, you kin bet,” was the reply, and the outlaw | lows, | was in their not being known as in the Secret pilot devoted himself to his work, and soon ran ‘But I am delighted that Foxey has es- | Service. the schooner in under the shadow of the over- | caped.” Pleasant rooms, games to amuse them in their hanging trees, that bordered the inlet. ‘Yes, sir; and so am I, for I feared we would | idle hours, a well-supplied kitchen and comfort-~ ‘* Thar’s the Sea Sneak, cap’n, and I have did | never see him alive again, after he was kid- | able beds, made up the quarters of the Boy my part,” said the pilot, as under shortened | napped from the shop of the Flower Girl by | Ferrets, of whom Wizard Will was the leading ™~ Y gail the yacht slowly ran alongside of the pirate | Elegant Ed.” spirit and chief, and Captain Daly was very craft. . ‘*Did you discover anything of importance | proud of his young allies in discovering the } In an instant Will was on deck, followed by | from Foxey regarding that pretty Flower Girl?’ | criminals end crimes of the great: metropolis. | Half an hour after the arrival of Captain . Daly and Wizard Will, Foxey, his identity wholly concealed under a clever disguise, started forth upon the track of Flora, the Flower Girl, while the young captain tock the train out to the village where dwelt bis mother and sister. CHAPTER VI. si his comrades, and the vessal was taken, while, ‘* No, sir; nothing more than that her father . | spenens ashore, the outlaw camp was seized, | is one of Elegant d’s gang of Land Sharks, ~ the two negroes being found fast asleep in one | though she does not seem to be a criminal, or in ats) of the tents, and their alarm when awakened | league with them, other than knowing their ; was really ludicrous, whereabouts, and from what he overheard, They were quickly ironed and sent down in | Foxey is sure that the Land Sharks have left the hold, and, with several boys on the captured | town,” vessel, to man her, the yacht put out to sea ‘* And the reason of Elegant Ed’s cruise south again, the prize following in her wake, is?” THE UNKNOWN FLOWER GIRL, : , ‘** Has you broken your word with me?” asked ‘To get into his power some rich Maryland | More than that she called herself Flora,the => > the outlaw pilot sullenly. planter, whom he feared and meant to kill, and | Flower Girl, nothing was known of the beauti- __ | } ‘* No, you shall have a boat to go ashore in, as | also rob.” ful creature who, one morning, was found be-— jad ee, | soon as we reach open wat r.” ‘* And did he discover that you had sent Foxey | hind the counter of a florist’s shop, which had — Once out of the inlet the man was put into the | to the shop of the Flower Girl as a spy?” been previously presided over by asullen-faced _— : anchored boat, as the yacht passed near, and ‘* Woxey says that Elegant Ed was angry with | man. | » a then the Sea Ferret ran down to pick up Foxey | the Flower Girl for taking a vagabond in to Well situated, the shop had a good run of “s and his comrades. work for her, and prancing so much confidence in | custom, and right glad bad been the patrons feds « They were found between the outlaw boat | him, and he was kidnapped, and the girl was | when they discovered in the place of the surly 4) | and the land, having beaded the latter off, and | robbed, to make her believe that be, Foxey, had oor a young and beautiful girl. , a ite the yacht soon picked them up and stood after | stolen her money and jewels and then run off. She had the air of a lady, dressed neatly, but the fugitives. *EKlecant Ed took Foxey to his quarters first, | with style, and arranged the flowers witb a grace ( # 4 ‘We surrender,” called out a voice, just as | then sent him on board the yacht, intending to | and celerity that was marvelous. : af ‘Qk Wizard Will was about to hail. kill him, I guess, and I am very glad that, by That there was a mystery behind all this, no i t ““Ay ay! Itis well for you. raiding Elegant Ed’s house I found out from his | ordinary person would have suspected. i a ‘* Run alongside as I luff.” : servants that he had sailed, and followed him in And yet there was, and it was forthe quick- =| a, The order was obeyed and these, like their | time to save poor Foxey.” witted Will Raymond to find it out. ace ha ai comrades were seized and ironed as they step- ‘So am I, Will, for Foxey is a trump; but do He had been on the search for Elegant Ed, | a ped on deck. you know anything about the strange boy?” the chief of the Land Sharks, had seen are- | Boome ** Where is your leader?” asked Will. ‘* A little, sir, for he saved our yacht.” markable looking person come out of the flower «| ( ey, “‘He swims like a fish, so he slipped over- ‘‘Indeed! and how?” store, followed by another, who appeared to be % eS - board and struck out for the shore,” was the | ‘‘ We were becalmed off of the Virginia coas‘ | a clergyman, and, while the former drove off, == | i answer. after leaving the Chesapeake, and Foxey told | Will had asked the latter who wasthe gentle- | ** When did he do this?” me we were near the haunt of a band of men | man that he had been conversing with, ae). Na ‘* When he saw your boat cut us off from the | known as Plantation Pirates.” The answer was not satisfactory, and Wilk’ | shore.” POMS ‘*T have beard of them.” entered the florist’s, to have another namegiven = | | a" ‘* He will have a long swim of it.” *‘He said a vessel he was cabin-boy on had | him. ei | ‘* He'll make it, for he’s half fish, we thinks.” |! been becalmed there and the pirates had taken That afternoon he had gone out home, to find ; Bhs ‘All right, I have his vessel and his men, so | her and he had been spared and made prisoner, | there the® clerical-looking individual, who he = T am satisfied,” | but had after some time escaped. felt assured was a rascal and arrested him. yi ‘** Sail ho!” sung out Foxey. ‘So he told me to be onthe alert, and I got all | The man escaped, and in going to make what = All eyes were turned upon the strange vessel, | ready to repel an attack and just in time.” other discoveries he could at the florist’s, Wiz- r yess, Sieirgie'd toward them under steam. You were attacked, then?” _ | ard Will had discovered Elegant Edenter be- ity ‘* Tt is the revenue cutter,” said one of the out- “Yes, sir,” and Wizard Will told the whole | fore him, and who was the supposed gent eman _ Pr i laws,” who had been steadily looking at her. story and the captain was deeply interested in | he had before made inquiries about. Wee ce To his surprise too, the florist was not there, = __ ‘*So much the better, for now I can get rid of | what he heard. i ag and its ugly crew,” returned Wizard “Now, Will, I can only say that, as is your | but in bis place Flora, the Flower Gir], i ae +38 ill, and as the cutter drew near he went out ' wont, you bave done nobly, and I am more than Cleverly leading her to believe he knew Elee i, 4 * ont. il . 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